President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he would not seek re-election, a decision that upended the 2024 presidential contest and marked a stunning reversal for the 81-year-old leader, who had steadfastly insisted on continuing his campaign despite mounting doubts about his age and vigor. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, but she won't formally replace him until nominated by the party's convention delegates.
The decision, which Biden is expected to discuss further in an address to the nation on Wednesday night, followed weeks of internal turmoil and external pressure from Democratic lawmakers, donors, and key allies who were increasingly convinced that his candidacy could lead to a catastrophic defeat in November. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsem*nt for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year," he wrote in a second social media post. "Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this."
Biden's withdrawal came on the heels of a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last month, where he appeared frail and struggled to articulate his positions effectively. The debate, widely seen as a turning point, exposed vulnerabilities and concerns about his age that had been simmering since his initial run against Trump in 2020.
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The President's decision not to seek re-election marked a historic moment in American politics, as it's the first time in decades that a sitting President has chosen not to pursue a second term. It immediately drew parallels to President Lyndon B. Johnson's decision in 1968 to withdraw from the Democratic primary race amid growing discontent over his handling of the Vietnam War.
Biden, whose political career spans over five decades, will leave behind a complex legacy as the oldest President in American history who decided it was time to pass the torch to a younger generation of Democratic leaders. His presidency has been marked by efforts to navigate a deeply divided nation, address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and implement ambitious legislative agendas despite fierce partisan opposition.
But for the Democratic Party, Biden's exit injected uncertainty into an already tumultuous election cycle. With just over 100 days until Election Day, Democrats now face the urgent task of selecting a new nominee capable of rallying the party and confronting Trump, who leads in most major polls.
Following Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election, here’s what happens now.
Who is vying for the nomination?
There was widespread speculation that several Democratic challengers would emerge if Biden stepped down from the nomination. But two days after Biden’s withdrawal, Harris is on track to go unopposed in her bid for the nomination and has already secured the pledged support of a majority of Democratic delegates, putting her in position to formally lock up the party’s nomination ahead of the Aug. 19 Democratic National Convention.
Since Biden left the race, Harris has received endorsem*nts from across the Democratic Party, including officials who had been floated as potential replacement nominees. She has also been endorsed by some of the most powerful unions, including the AFL-CIO, and has raised more than $100 million after launching her campaign, putting her in the strongest position to be the party’s nominee. Harris would be the first woman of color nominated for President by a major party.
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Her first big decision will be to pick a running mate. Some of the early vice presidential contenders have included North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, among others.
When will the new nominee be selected?
The Democratic National Committee plans to adopt rules on July 24 allowing for a virtual nomination of their presidential ticket ahead of the Chicago convention. Jaime Harrison, the chair of the DNC, said on Monday that the party will then choose its presidential nominee in an online vote by Aug. 7, though an exact date has not yet been set.
“We are living through an unprecedented moment in history and, as a party, we are tackling it with the seriousness that it deserves,” Harrison said on a conference call with reporters. "We are prepared to undertake a transparent, swift and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a nominee who represents our values.”
In order to qualify for the virtual roll call, potential candidates would need to submit 300 electronic signatures from convention delegates, not more than 50 of whom can be from the same state. Those who qualify would then need to lobby delegates for their support before the virtual vote is held. Multiple rounds could be required if no candidate emerges, though Harris remains unchallenged for the nomination.
Who picks the nominee?
Democratic delegates, who will convene at the party's virtual roll call in early August and again at the national convention, hold the authority to choose the presidential nominee. Approximately 4,700 delegates will take part in the process, with about 4,000 previously pledged to Biden now free to support alternative candidates.
By Monday night, a majority of delegates had already pledged their support to Harris, giving her enough to claim the nomination, according to a count by the Associated Press. The early outpouring of delegate support suggests that Harris and possibly her running mate will be confirmed at the virtual pre-convention vote by Aug. 7, setting up a formal vote at the Democratic National Convention to declare her the official nominee.
In the unlikely event that a Democratic challenger emerges and no single candidate secures a majority of votes at the roll call, there could be an open convention in Chicago in which delegates would be able to cast their votes for whomever they want. Such a scenario, some Democrats say, would be far from ideal.
Read More: Read Kamala Harris’ Statement on Biden Dropping Out
Democratic National Convention chair Minyon Moore told reporters Monday that “an in-person, contested convention simply cannot accommodate the potential of a multi-round nomination process for the presidential nominee, who then must select a vice presidential nominee, and still meet the ballot access certification requirements in each of the states necessary to the Democratic path to victory.”
“Once in person in Chicago, we will be united as a party,” she added.
While Harris remains a leading contender due to her proximity to Biden and significant party support, recent polling indicates a mixed reception among voters regarding her candidacy compared to Biden's. According to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted July 5-9, Harris polled about the same as Biden against Trump in head-to-head matchups, though a July 13-16 Economist/YouGov poll found that Harris would perform slightly worse than Biden. No other Democrats immediately pledged to challenge Harris for the nomination.
Additionally, under federal election regulations, funds in Biden's campaign account could be transferred to Harris if she became the nominee since her name is on the paperwork filed with the Federal Election Commission.
If Harris is challenged, what would an open convention look like?
In the absence of a clear frontrunner, an open and contested convention for the Democratic Party could unfold as a high-stakes battleground where contenders vie for delegate support—a scenario that last took place in 1968 after incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson opted to not seek reelection earlier in the year. Democrats went on to lose the general election that year.
Read More: How the Democratic Party Gave Away Its Ability to Simply Pick a New Nominee
An open convention would likely see candidates scrambling to secure the requisite support from delegates spread across the country. In the event that no candidate commands a majority in the initial round of voting, the convention could devolve into multiple rounds of balloting. In 1924, the Democratic Party's prolonged convention required 103 rounds of voting, highlighting the chaotic nature and potential pitfalls of extended deliberations, according to Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Princeton University. While party leaders and superdelegates would eventually enter the fray to break deadlocks, the spectacle of competing factions within the party negotiating in real-time could overshadow efforts to present a unified front against the Republican nominee.
What are the legal hurdles the Democratic Party faces?
Some Republicans have warned that they would try to complicate any efforts to replace Biden as the party’s nominee for the upcoming presidential election since he was the overwhelming winner of the party’s primaries.
“Every state has its own system, and in some of these, it’s not possible to simply just switch out a candidate,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on ABC’s This Week just hours before Biden’s announcement to withdraw, suggesting that there could be grounds to challenge whether such replacement efforts comply with existing state election laws.
“I think they would run into some legal impediments in at least a few of these jurisdictions,” Johnson added. “We’ll see how it plays out.”
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, released a memo in June that outlined the intricate and state-specific processes that govern the replacement of a presidential candidate. The memo claimed that several battleground states, including Wisconsin, Nevada, and Georgia, have stringent ballot access deadlines or unclear procedures for candidate substitutions, which could provoke a legal battle after Biden dropped out of the race.
